Around the world, unsafe recycling of lead batteries (mainly from cars) is widespread. Perry Gottesfeld of Occupational Knowledge International (a San Francisco-based organization that campaigns worldwide against industrial pollution) called lead pollution “the most serious health threat to children”. In Senegal, 18 children died within three months of cerebral palsy caused by lead poisoning from a battery recycling plant on the outskirts of Dakar. In addition to those 18 children, hundreds more children in the residential area were poisoned. A person cooks lead manually in the Pesarean (Indonesia). Image source: Pure Earth On the other side of California, a giant lead smelter is located in the city of Torreon (Mexico), which has a history of childhood blood poisoning in the neighborhood and stretches back half a century. Air, soil and water pollution has long been documented around small and large lead smelting and recycling plants. Doctors all know that lead can be easily inhaled or swallowed, and when it enters the bloodstream, lead dust will immediately travel from the digestive tract to the brain. On the other hand, it should be known that lead is a potent neurotoxin and at no level has ever been deemed safe. Besides causing fever and affecting the gastrointestinal tract, lead poisoning also damages intellectual development in young children even at a low dose, reduces intelligence quotient (IQ), loss of attention. , and emotional disorders. Workers disintegrate car batteries in preparation for lead recycling in Patna, India. Image source: Pure Earth Lead poisoning is also believed to be the cause of outbreaks of violent behavior in communities in the United States and around the world. The UNICEF report noted: Lead wreaks havoc on the body in a silent way. One-third of children worldwide are suffering from lead poisoning from recycled batteries and other sources. Fatty profits but a danger to human health An estimated 85% of the lead used today is in batteries, mainly used in cars. And when the battery runs out, 99% of the expired battery will be recycled to create a new battery. The recycling battery business is very lucrative, this is a money-making business. Tens of thousands of people breaking batteries and smelters around the world are looking for ways to monetize it, collecting an abundance of used batteries and turning them into brand-new products. According to the International Lead Association, in London: “More than 6 million tons of lead are collected each year. Lead batteries are the most recycled consumer product in the world, thanks to recycling they no longer have to be mined.” Because of very little regulation, in many countries around the world, small-scale operators compete with the legal battery industry. “Total half of all batteries are in the informal economy, where unregulated and often illegal recycling processes have broken battery cases, spilling lead acid and dust into the ground. Lead smelting in open-air furnaces has spewed toxic fumes and dust around residential areas,” according to a report published in June 2020 by Pure Earth and UNICEF. With the rapid development of African economies, more than 800,000 tons of lead leach out of batteries each year on the subcontinent. And the consequences for human health and the environment have already begun to emerge. Two years ago, Mr. Gottesfeld completed research showing that lead poisoning had spread to the land around battery recycling plants in crowded slums or near schools in cities such as Dar es. Salaam (Tanzania), Lagos (Nigeria) and the port of Tema (Ghana). Lead contaminated soil is excavated in Dong Mai ward (Hanoi, Vietnam). Image source: Pure Earth In addition to Africa facing serious lead poisoning problems, Southeast Asia is also facing a similar crisis. Mr. Bill Daniell (School of Public Health, University of Washington) is the lead author of a 2015 study on lead exposure around Dong Mai ward (Ha Dong district, Hanoi), where many households are engaged in recycling. battery processing. More than 100 children in Dong Mai were tested and all showed high blood lead levels of more than ¼/45 micrograms/decilit, which is nine times the safe limit in the US. In India, a study published in 2019 by Toxics Link (an NGO based in New Delhi) announced that 90% of lead batteries in India in recycling plants are in the informal sector. awake. The study mapped residential areas in major cities like New Delhi, where lead-battery recycling plants operate without any official supervision. Nguyen Thanh Hai ( According to e360.yale.edu )

According to Binh Dinh Fisheries Sub-Department, in this province, many shrimp farming areas under the extensive farming method, the environment in the cultured water areas is seriously polluted, because the farming area has not been properly planned, which is the main cause of the epidemic. shrimp disease. In fact, the planned shrimp farming areas in Binh Dinh are few, and the spontaneous shrimp farming areas with weak infrastructure are many. The extensive shrimp farming areas do not have a separate water supply system into the pond and a separate wastewater discharge system, most of them only have one pond and then discharge it directly into the environment, leading to infectious pollution. lan. In the context of seriously polluted farming water, causing continuous diseases for shrimp, many whiteleg shrimp farming households in the form of intensive and semi-intensive farming in Phu My district (Binh Dinh) have filtered water before put in ponds. Contamination of culture water is the main cause of disease for shrimp. Photo: Vu Dinh Thung. The filter tank is built of cement bricks with a width of 6m, a width of 4m, and a depth of 2m. Underneath the tank is a layer of coral rock, followed by a layer of activated carbon and a thick layer of sand on top. Water is pumped from the underground circuit into the filter pond and then discharged into the pond with a large plastic pipe. Pump and filter continuously until there is enough water in the pond. After being filtered, the water is clear, when entering the pond, there is little change in algae. Every 3-5 months, shrimp owners have to change the sand and coal layer once. The 1-year coral layer must also be removed, scrubbed clean and then put back in the tank to avoid contamination of the culture water from the scum in the filter tank. The model of using water filter tanks for shrimp farming has been applied by many whiteleg shrimp pond owners in My An commune (Phu My district). Breeding fish in a dual-effective shrimp pond For shrimp farmers in Hoai Nhon town (Binh Dinh), raising mullet in shrimp ponds to help the fish clean the pond environment, both to limit environmental diseases on shrimp, and to earn more income from fish. . According to Mr. La Dong Quang in block 2, Tam Quan ward (Hoai Nhon town, Binh Dinh), one of the three pioneers in raising mullet in shrimp ponds has degraded in the model developed by the Binh Dinh Agricultural Extension Center. deployed with an area of ​​12,000m2, the number of mullet fingerlings stocked is 12,000 with the size of 200 fish/kg. After 8 months of stocking, the results showed that the fish grew well, the survival rate reached nearly 90%, the average weight reached 2-3 fish/kg, the estimated yield was more than 4.8 tons. Mullet has delicious meat, is popular with consumers, so the output is very generous. Mr. Pham Van Chay, a shrimp farmer in Dong Dien hamlet, Phuoc Thang commune (Tuy Phuoc district, Binh Dinh) releases monotypic tilapia into shrimp ponds to clean the pond environment. Photo: Vu Dinh Thung. According to Mr. Do Minh Quang, Deputy Director of Binh Dinh Agricultural Extension Center, farming households must manage environmental factors during the farming process; regularly monitor watercolor, identify environmental factors, monitor environmental factors. Monitor the health and pathology of the mullet fish to take timely measures. The water level in the pond is always maintained above 1.2 m, the amount of water changes from 20-30%/time, the time of water change depends on the level of pollution in the pond. Use aerators and aerators to maintain optimal dissolved oxygen levels in the pond, especially after sunset. In the first time of the farming process, only run the fan in the evening, when the fish are large, depending on the total weight of fish in the pond, adjust the running time of the fan accordingly. The shrimp’s food is always left over at the bottom of the lake, when the aerator runs aeration, the excess food pops up, the mullet fish just like that, so they can take advantage of the fine food source, and the fish will grow faster. Photo: Vu Dinh Thung. “Especially, mullet is omnivorous, the main food is organic detritus. This feature is very beneficial for cleaning degraded shrimp pond environment. In addition, the technique of raising mullet is not difficult, there are few diseases, so the survival rate is high. Breeding mullet interspersed with shrimp at a ratio of 1/4 will bring double profits on the same area, and at the same time reduce the time and cost of fish feed. Because the shrimp’s food is always left over on the bottom of the lake, when the aerator runs on the aerator, the excess food expands, the fish just keep on snapping, so they can take advantage of the refined food source, and the fish will grow faster. Breeding mullet in degraded shrimp ponds has given double results, both cleaning the environment in the pond to ensure safe shrimp growth and creating more income for farmers,” said Mr. La Dong Quang, farmer. mullet in a shrimp pond in Hoai Nhon town shared. In the shrimp farming area in the direction of biosecurity in Dong Dien village, Phuoc Thang commune (Tuy Phuoc district, Binh Dinh), in the shrimp ponds, tilapia can be stocked with the density of 1 fish/2m2 so that they to clean the pond bottom and ensure the water source for farming. “Tilapia not only gradually eat waste at the bottom of the pond to help limit pollution, but the slime layer of the fish also secretes substances with biological effects to kill harmful bacteria of shrimp, balancing the ecology in the pond. Thanks to that, shrimp farming in Dong Dien in recent years has not been harmed by diseases, farmers are profitable,” said Pham Van Chay, who has 4,500m2 of water surface area for whiteleg shrimp farming in Dong Dien village. shall.

Hidden in the dark, the terror of the dark, is a herd of thousands of mice. Wander around the wheat cellar at the Fragar family farm, a seven-hour drive from Sydney. The drought is over, and the Fragar family’s first good harvest in years is being ravaged by rats. But the Fragars weren’t the only victims. Countless farms along Australia’s eastern grain belt are facing a rat epidemic described as the worst in public memory, according to New York Times . Rats in the grain warehouse at the Fragar family farm. Photo: New York Times. The rat epidemic came after years of bountiful crops màng On average, every 10 years, Australia faces a rat epidemic. This year, the rats appeared after a year of favorable rain and wind in 2020. The crops were bountiful, the farmers’ food stores were full, becoming an ideal food source for the rats to multiply. This year’s rat epidemic is also partly caused by the change in people’s farming methods. In the past, farmers used to burn the stubble after each crop, before sowing began. But over the past 15 years, Australian farmers have started sowing seeds directly on the trunks of old food crops, to protect the environment. It was this change that created an additional food supply as well as an ideal nesting place for the rats. Both natural and man-made factors, combined with the rapid reproductive cycle – a single mother can give birth to 6-10 pups in 3 weeks, have caused the rat population to explode into the tens of thousands. million children. Meanwhile, the Australian government has been criticized for its slow response. Recently, after a long period of rat epidemic raging, the New South Wales state government lifted the ban on the use of bromadiolone poison, which is considered a “napal bomb” for rats. Rats on a grain tarpaulin at a farm in Tottenham. Photo: AP. Tottenham is a small town in the midwest region of the state of New South Wales. Residents here said they have never seen a rat epidemic as long as it is now in the past. Winter is now slowly coming to the southern hemisphere, including Australia. Cold weather slows down the growth of mice. Robert Brodin, the owner of a shop in Tottenham, said the number of rats he catches each morning is now 15-20, down by nearly half compared to the previous time. However, Mr. Brodin expressed skepticism about the possibility that the rat epidemic would end just through winter. “They used to say, once they (rats) start eating each other, the rat epidemic will pass. But they have been eating each other since December 2020 and nothing has changed,” Mr. Brodin said. Steve Henry, an expert on rat diseases in Australia, admits it is difficult to predict when the current rat epidemic will pass. Mr. Henry said the rat epidemic can only end when it has peaked. “The epidemic will end when there are too many rats in the ecosystem, all of them interacting with each other, causing the disease to spread quickly. At the same time, the rats run out of food, they will be both sick and hungry, that is when they will attack each other and eat the young,” expert Henry predicted. If the rat population survives the winter in large numbers, the size of the rat population will explode again in the spring, then the situation could be worse. Until the rat epidemic is over, it will continue to be a psychological burden for people living in the areas directly affected. Life turned upside down “I feel like I’m watching the rats gnaw away at the family’s future,” said Kathy Fragar. During the first half of 2021, the rat epidemic has spread across southern Queesland, New South Wales and northern Victoria, the three wealthiest eastern states in Australia. “The rat epidemic is the flip side of a rare lucky year out of the worst drought in a century.” New York Times comment. Not only attacking crops, rats even attack people in the house. They get into the air conditioning system, destroy household appliances, eat poultry. Communication systems in some areas of Australia were disrupted when rats bitten telecommunications cables. Rats biting power lines also short-circuited and set a house on fire in New South Wales. Mr. Terry Klante emptied the rat out of the trap. Photo: New York Times. The rat epidemic makes people do things every day that no one is interested in. At the stores, employees set traps every night, and in the morning drown the rats they catch. In residential areas, “cremation yards” sprang up, where people bring the bodies of rats they find or kill for incineration. Hospitals also struggle with hygiene requirements against the invasion of rats. Jeff Fragar, the family’s ranch owner, said the loss of wheat storage was noticeable due to rat infestation. Mr. Fragar hopes to be able to sell 500 tonnes of the 700 tonnes of wheat already harvested on the farm. Even with such an optimistic figure, the family still lost $30,000. Many farmers find themselves in a situation where their goods are returned because rats are found in their lots. Mr. Fragar said the family’s biggest concern right now is the risk of not being able to continue growing the next crop. The Fragar family farm is in its infancy. The swarm of rats will eat whatever seed man sows in the ground. But if we continue to wait, the ideal time for sowing will pass, the farm is at risk of crop failure, or even no crop to harvest. The NSW Farmers lobby group warned New South Wales could lose billions of dollars as the rat epidemic affects the upcoming wheat, barley and canola crops. “We haven’t been able to plant anything for three years now because of the drought. We’ve only had half a year of good weather, and then the rats have ruined everything. If the weather doesn’t continue to be favorable, I can saying that our luck has run out. The bank will no longer help us,” said Mr. Fragar. Can only wait Jo Randall lives more than 100 kilometers south of the Fragars’ farm. The woman said she cried when she discovered that the rats had entered the house and destroyed the furniture. The Randalls consider themselves lucky because they were able to protect the farm from rats, by actively trapping and burning the farmland. But the Randalls live in an old house, with many cracks, easily infested by rats. Even when it was cold in the morning, Mrs. Randall often had to open the window to release the stench from the rats. A domestic dog chases mice under a grain-covered canvas on the farm of George Greig’s family. Photo: New York Times. In the house, there were traces of rats everywhere. Mrs. Randall’s phone case was crushed at the edge. The sound system of the family is damaged by biting the wire. Rats leave teeth marks on many other household objects. For Mrs. Randall, the ultimate limit was the rats getting into the bed. This finally happened, when the woman found rat droppings on the bed sheet. “Ultimately we have to accept the fact that we’re not going to win this war, we’re not going to get rid of the rats. The best we can do is wait for the rat epidemic to pass,” Ms. Randall said. .

Regular testing on mink farms is recommended to rule out the risk of transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to humans. Photo: AFP/VNA After more than a year of the COVID-19 outbreak, people are well aware of the risks of human-animal contact, especially in cases related to deforestation and wildlife trade. high risk. The report builds on the study “Behind the Ivory Ban” conducted by the International Organization for Conservation of Nature and the Global Initiative Reporting Organization in 2020 to gain insight into attitudes and behaviors. public attitudes towards COVID-19 and future pandemics. More than a year after the COVID-19 outbreak, survey results show that people are well aware of close human-animal contact, often linked to deforestation and the endangered wildlife trade. high risk, potential health risks, can cause serious disease outbreaks. In which, 46% of the participants said that transmission of diseases from animals to humans is the root cause that could cause a future pandemic. A recent investigation by the World Health Organization (WHO) also indicated that wild animals are likely to be the source of infection of the COVID-19 pandemic. A majority of those surveyed believe that preventing future pandemics should start with addressing the root causes, including high-risk wildlife trade and deforestation. In all five countries, people strongly support government efforts to close high-risk wildlife markets that sell wild-caught animals (85%) and to end wildlife trafficking. deforestation (88%). In which, in Vietnam, the support rate for these two issues is 94% and 95% respectively. In addition, 85% of respondents in all 5 countries support or strongly support the “One Health” approach to dealing with the pandemic. Particularly in Vietnam, the agreement rate is 93% and is the second country with the highest consensus rate. “One Health” is an approach in which action programs, policies and legislation from various sectors work together towards the goal of better health for people, animals and plants, in particular. in the context of the increasing spread of diseases between animals and humans and the increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistance. More specifically, among survey participants in Vietnam, 39% of respondents said they have consumed less wildlife or have stopped consuming wildlife because of COVID-19. In Thailand, this rate nearly doubles from 21% in 2020 to 41% in 2021. While in China, the figure is 28% in 2021. Still, there are 9% of participants. The survey intends to purchase wildlife products in the future in all five countries. The COVID-19 pandemic has turned the lives of human society upside down and forced people to think more deeply about the relationship between humans and nature. The best way to prevent future pandemics is to minimize activities that destroy the natural environment such as deforestation, trade and consumption of unsustainable, high-risk wildlife, rather than passively. respond to disease outbreaks after they emerge. “Preventing a pandemic, it is estimated, will be 100 times less expensive than responding to a pandemic when it breaks out. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that investing in the health of the planet and nature is the only way to avoid paying a hefty economic and social cost,” said Marco Lambertini, Director General of the International Organization. on the International Conservation of Nature. Ms. Nguyen Dao Ngoc Van, Program Manager against illegal wildlife trade of the International Organization for Conservation of Nature in Vietnam commented: “In July 2020, the Prime Minister issued an Directive Decree No. 29/CT-TTg on some urgent solutions for wildlife management. We expect the Government to continue to closely guide the implementation, promptly reward ministries, branches and localities for good performance and strictly handle localities that have not performed well so that the Directive can come into effect. living”. The results of the Report are an important basis for Vietnam and other countries in the region to consider decisions on closing wildlife markets and closing forests to proactively prevent and control the COVID-19 pandemic. as well as possible future outbreaks of wildlife-related diseases to humans. The International Organization for Conservation of Nature calls on policymakers to put in place the interventions needed to address the key drivers of zoonotic disease outbreaks in their pandemic control plans. Translate. For example, closing forests and closing high-risk wildlife markets will help restore animal populations and maintain biodiversity at the national and global levels. Thereby, epidemics can be adjusted naturally, as well as helping to ensure the sustainable use of natural resources.